Apparatus for drying pulp products



0. M. SUTHERLAND, JR

APPARATUS FOR DRYING PULP PRODUCTS Sept. 2

Filed May 10 1923 Snow V601; mad/mm); SafkerlanJJ I/ L z r I- Fhiii! 4 9 I 5 l h f x n wi l |I1.J|| 3 a such moisture as remains in the board, slab,

what larger scale, of the dryin Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED s'rA'rss PATENT OFFICE.

n'num. nnson summann, m, or rmron, new 1mm. nrrmrus m name rum rnonuc'rs Application m m 10.1923. In!!! no. oaaou.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that 1*, Damn. Manson SUTHERLAND, J r., now a subject of the King pifGreat Britain, but who in 1922 filed my rst of the United States, residin in thecounty ofMercer and Jersey, have invented certain new and useful 1m rovements in A paratus for Drying Pulp specification.

This invention pertains to apparatus for drying ulp products such as pulp boards, sheets, s abs, and the like, by meansof heating platesorelements. One object of the invention is -to evaporate and thus remove or body after the same has been moldedand compressed to remove such moisture as can be expeditiously and economically removed through pressure.

-EfFurther ob'ects are to hes the boards, slabs 'or artic es fiat during t e drying ope'ration and until such" drying is complete, s6 that they shall maintain such flat form thereafter, and to provide means for the sheets, slabs or mechanically passing bodies intothe drying apparatus and delivering them therefrom. A single drying unit may be employed, or a. urality 0 such machines arranged to de iver one to another, so that the dryin shall be progressively done and a practica y continuous feed and delivery be secured.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: #Figure 1 is a side elevation of a single unit drying a paratus. complete;

i7 Figure 2,a ragmentary View on a'someelements and the woven wire facings there or; and

. =Figure3, an end view indicating a suit able arran ement of pipes for suppl ,ing steam or ot er heatingagent to the 0 low 61 'ng elements. g

- eferring to these drawings, the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a rectangular frame 1 of channel iron, angle iron, or the like, supported by posts 2 of channel iron, and in turn having u ri hts or standards 3 of the same materia t use one one side of the frame 1 being tied or cross-connected with those on the other side by-crossmembers 4 at their :pper ends. Any-suitable bracing may be opted, the

papers for naturalization as a citizen at Trenton, tate of New roducts, of whic the following is a' drawing being essentially diagrammaticand designed merely to illustrate the general structure of the frame, the details of which ma be varied'as desired.

guitably secured to the uprights 3 is the lower drying bed or element 5, which will be made of metal and hollow to receive steam, hot air, or other heating agent. A second dryin element or .platen 6 similar in form to t e fixed bed or element 5,.is

'sus ended directly over said element 5 by lin s or pitman 7 having straps 8 which encircle eccentrics 9 secured to a shaft 10 journaled in boxes 6r bearings carried by the cross bars 4 at the top of the frame. Shaft lOm'ay be rotated in any convenient manner, a hand-wheel 11 being, shown asa suitable means of turning it, though this may be done by belt or gear transmitting motion from any suitable prime mover.

lin order to supply a suitable heating agent to the two drying elements, any common form or type of conductor suitable to the purpose ma be em loyed, the branch extending to t e mova le element being either flexible or extensibleto permit it to follow the movements of such element. Steam hose may be used for carrying steam,

hot air, or gas, and the usual flexible metalconductor 12 communicating with the ele ment 5, and steam hose 13 communicating with the movable element 6.

l4 indicates an endless woven wire belt of a w1dth substantially equal tothat of the drying bed 5 and laten 6, and considerably longer than said e ements, in order that the sheets or slabs may be carried clear thereof and delivered at the end of the frame of the machine. This belt is carried about two main rolls 15 and 16 at opposite ends of the main frame, one of said rolls, preferably the roll 16 at the delivery end, bein driven by belt passing about a band-whee or pulley thereon, or in any other convenient way, fast of belt 14 carried about and parallel with but in close proximity to the upper surface of the bed or lower drying element 5, and the lower stretch carried over supporting and guiding rolls'li' and under a roll 18 be low the fixed element 5, the roll 18 being advisably mounted for adjustment to permit tightening of the belt in case this shall become necessary. Both stretches of the belt may, however, be carried above the bed or lower drying element 5, as indicated in Fig. 2. This'latter arrangement willbe found advantageous where a considerable amount" of moisture is to be removed, because the double thickness of the wire beneath the body to be dried aii'ords freer escape for the vapor or steam produced through evaporation, and for the further reason that the belt may be removed on lifting from their bearings the journals of such rolls as lie within the belt This maybe done without dismounting any ortion of the frame-work,

2. the ends of such web or webs being secured to the platen in any convenient manner. In said Fig. 2 cross bars or bindings 20 are shown secured to the endsjof this webbing, and these are e ged by books or fastenings 21, but any sultable holding devices may be employed, orv the foraminous webbing ma be in the form of an endless belt or ban and carried over both faces and endsof the platen as indicated in Fig. 1. In this form it can be adjusted from'jaime, to

time to bring fresh portions into use, and

thus to distribute the wear over its length. Y The biggparatus being constructed as above descri the molded and com ressed slab, sheet, or bodyisbrou'ght to t e receiving end of the machine and laid upon the; belt 4 above roll 15, the belt being set in 'motion entire and the upper stretch travelling toward the delivery end, asindicated by the arrow.

' The belt hence serves .to draw forward the body to be dried, and when the same is pro erly positioned by such travel between to bed v5. and platen 6, or upper and lower drying elements. the travel of the belt is stopped by throwing said belt to the loose pulley, or throwing out the clutch; Shaft 10 is then turned to lower the latch 6 and press its lower face,or the we ing. thereon, into contact with such body, the ldw'ering being continued until by reason of the pressure exerted, such body is caused to lie perfectly flat between the upper and lower webbings, and said webbings are caused to lie in close contact with the bed and platen respectively. Steam from a boiler or erator, or from a superheater if more t an boiler steam heat be desired, or heated "air,

or the like is introduced through the con-' ductors 12 and 13 to the interior of the bed 5 and platen 6, respectively,thus producing a proper vaporizing temperature for the moisture to be removed. As such evaporation takes place, the steam or vapor escapes a single unit such as illustrated in Fig. 1,

but it is foundadvantageous in practice, and particularly where the operation is carried out on a large scale, to employ a plurality of such units delivering one to another, th'e' receiving end of a second drying unit bein indicated in Fig. 1 in such relation to e first unit as to receive the slab, sheet, or body from the'deliver end of said first unit. By this means the rying is carried out in successive steps, and the bodies to be.dried remain for a proportionately shorter time in each unit than they would be required to remain were a single unit emplo ed. As a consequence, the feeding and delivery of the dried product mabe efiecb ed much more rapidly through t ones (is plurality of units than by the use of but e,

.While L have shown and find it convenient and economicalto employ. a framing of structural steel forms,-it is obvious that such frame may be built of any materials commonly used for such purposes,-

.wood, metal, or other, the invention consisting essentially in the arrangement of drying elements and endless wire belt, as more particularly set outv in the claims.

Any .known heating agency may beemloyed,-hot air, steam, superheated steam, eated oil, electric or gas heaters, or other. As these are well-known means and appliances, it is deemed nnecemary to illustrate or describe such, pipes being shown for the introduction of any liquid or seous heatin medium, and itbeing un erstood that this is illustrative merely and maybe replaced by "any of the other agencies or appliances nfoted.

Numerous modifications or variations in the arrangement of parts may obviously be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Thus the movable platen or l(gying element may be below and the fixed ap aratlis.

0 better insure the free escape of the or element above, or both may vapor incident -to the drying operation, the

opposing faces of the drying 0 mac.

What is claimed is t 1. A drying apparatus for pulp products, comprisin a mam su porting frame; an

ments may be grooved, advisably lengthwise and crossupper an a lower ho ow drying element ing about said rolls and having both its mounted within said frame, one movable toward. and from the other; means for so moving one of said drying elements; an endless web or belt of woven wire passing between the drying elements in close proximendless woven wire belt passing between,

and in close proximity to one of, the drying elements and about sustaining and driving rolls, the other of said drying elements being provided with a foraminous facing opposed to and parallel with the endless belt; and means for heating said elements.

3. In a drying apparatus, the combination of a main frame; two flat drying elements mounted in said frame and facewise opposed one to the other, one of said elements being capable of movement toward and from the other; means for effecting such relative movement; journal bearings carried by the main frame; rolls at opposite ends of the frame having their journals seated in and readily removable from said bearings; an endless woven wire belt passupper and its lower stretch carried between the two drying elements; and a foraminous facing applied to the opposing face of the other drying element. I

4. In a drying apparatus of the character described, the combination of a main frame; two drying elements mounted in said frame, one movable toward and from the other; means for effecting such relative movement; an endless belt having its upper stretch carvried between and parallel with the opposing faces of the drying elements; and rolls within and at opposite extremities of said endless belt, journaled in bearings on the frame and extending beyond the ends of the drying elements, whereby said belt is adapted to receive at one end and deliver at the other end of the machine the bodies to be dried. 1

5. In a drying apparatus of the character described, the combination of a main frame; two drying elements mounted in said frame, one movable toward and from the other; means for effecting such relative movement; rolls rotatabl mounted in said frame at opposite ends tiereof; an endless woven wire belt having its upper stretch carried be tween and arallel with the opposing faces of the drying elements and passing about said rolls; means for im arting rotary motion to one of said rols; and means for starting and stopping such motion at will.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

DANIEL MANSON SUTHERLAND, Jr. 

